Jonathan Richman, Citizen

from OC Weekly

The modern lover lives in the modern world

by Jim Washburn

Jonathan Richman has been listening a bunch to Aqnazar, a one-named, timeless-voiced singer/accordion player from Tajikistan. It’s not the easiest stuff to find, so he thought you might want to know the website for Aqnazar’s French distributor: www.budamusique.com.

more backstage

How I Became a Modern Lover

I went into this when I was sixteen and one of the reasons I started was that I knew I had no standard voice. I just wanted top show in a way that anyone could do it. Anyone. It didn't matter how pretty your voice was. All you had to have was feeling. People said it took courage to do what I did when I was performing alone and only knew two chords on the guitar, but it was just something I wanted to do so badly, no one could have stopped me.

-- Jonathan Richman, in Yakety Yak by Scott Cohen

usa: what you can do to help tsunami survivors

backstage: From the New York Times

joy

vintage 1999

From: Tim
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1999
Subject:: Santa Day Tunes

At the moment, my fave Christmas song is Buck's rewrite of "Santa Baby" on their Christmas In My Heart 7" (Sympathy for the Record Industry). ('Think of all the groupies that I haven't kissed' comes to mind as one of the better altered lines)

But I'm also partial to Mary Margaret O'Hara's take on Blue Christmas on her Christmas EP (Koch).

By the way - does anyone else think that Rudolph's acceptance on the basis of his red nose for foggy Christmas eves means that he is generally rejected on clear Christmas eves (not to mention that he should be liked holistically, not just for one physical trait...of course, this brings to mind the question of why he isn't liked...I know all sorts of very popular people with physical oddities/what have you...or might I be overreading just a tad? :) )?

-- Tim

###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.

last look

Jim's Guitar Shop is shutting down, have a look at it before it goes away. Gorgeous pictures of naked guitars...

jojobites

New readers, welcome to Jojoblog! And returning readers, thanks for your continuing support!

To subscribe to the JOJO email discussion list at Topica, click here and follow the directions.
If you have a problem getting in, send an email to Simon and he'll help you out.

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Check out the sidebar sites in the Jojolinks and the Perte du Temps. There's always something new to see! The archives are full of nice surprises too.

As of today, there are 42 Jojoblog team members. If you'd like to join the team, send an email to Jojoblog with the subject "knock knock" and we'll issue a Blogger invitation. Read the FAQ to see how this blog works.

Suggestions, comments and submissions are always welcome.

vintage 1998

From: geoff
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998
Subject: Re: Guitar answer and another ?

On Fri, 4 Dec 1998, ANTHONY wrote:

way he does? I mean, alot of the songs are simple chord progressions, but he makes them sound SO COOL! Anybody have a better read on this than me, 'cause I'm just blown away. - Tony

I'm afraid the trick is really just Imagination. Most of what he does abides by the most basic rules of pop songs - seven note scales with carefully chosen blue notes, plus some of the chromatics that surf/flamenco music allows.

The other trick, I suppose, is that Jonathan has chosen to stick within basic song structure and master it, which is not an obvious choice for a musician. Many people bang their heads against the wall trying to come up with their own challenges to tonality, structure, rhythm etc, thinking they've got to break some kind of new ground before they come up with something good. It *is* hard to make something out of the 1-4-5 progression with the ghosts of Wild Thing and Louie Louie and Hang On Sloopy and Little Doll and Leavin On A Jet Plane and Hey Good Lookin all looking over your shoulder, and I thank Jonathan for proving to me that there is still a lot to be mined from the primordial rock veins... as long as you've got the style and class to refine the ore.

-- Geoff

###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.

tour dates

Update: Current known tour dates are listed in sidebar (look to the right). If you know of any upcoming Jonathan Richman show dates that are not listed there, please let us know!

To get on the snail mail list to find out when Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins are coming near your town, send a letter with your neatly printed or typed address to:

Jonathan Richman Mailing List
PO Box 8024
SANTA CRUZ CA 95061
USA

Reviews encouraged. Send an email to a Jojoblog admin to submit. Read the FAQ for information.

vintage 1997

From: rosebud
Date: Fri, 26 Dec 1997
Subject: More Beserkely

goran.k wrote:

There was no volume 2, but there was a "Beserkley's Back" album in 78 with a number of Jonathan songs picked from Beserkley albums included.

There was also "Great Ideas from Beserkely-5000 Watts" in 1977 with Ice Cream Man.

And a live German TV concert released as a double album in 1978 called "Bezerk Times: Beserkley Gruppen Stürmen Deutschland" featuring the Rubinoos, Earth Quake, Tyla Gang, and Greg Kihn but no Jonathan Richman.

-- rosebud

###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.

Alive & Kicking – Jonathan Richman

December 13 & 14, Tractor Tavern
By Chris McCann
from Nadamucho.com

In one of the songs on his newest album (Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love), Jonathan Richman sings, “He gave us the wine to taste, not to talk about it.” On one level the lyrics tell the story of a wine tasting, but they can also be read as a gloss of Richman’s three-decade career making music that begs for empathy, not analysis.

more backstage

Review: Not So Much to be Loved

(From the CALGARY SUN
By Darryl Sterdan)

NOT SO MUCH TO BE LOVED AS TO LOVE — Jonathan Richman
Puberty eminent

Some guys never change. Thankfully — and somewhat amazingly — Jonathan Richman is not one of those guys.

On his latest disc Not So Much to be Loved as to Love, the eternally naive troubadour finally sounds as if he's — get this — maturing.

Sure, he still strums that acoustic guitar and warbles with all the earnest simplicity of a camp counsellor at a cookout.

And he still writes songs about painters and Sunday afternoons.

But during the course of this 15-track set, the 53-year-old singer-songwriter also explores more grownup and weighty topics like Mumia Abu-Jamal and mortality.

You could say it's not so much a shock as it is a pleasant surprise.

Track Listing:

• 1. Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love
• 2. Sunday Afternoon
• 3. Vincent Van Gogh
• 4. Cosi Veloce
• 5. He Gave Us The Wine To Taste It
• 6. Salvador Dali
• 7. My Baby Love Love Loves Me
• 8. In Che Mondo Viviamo
• 9. Behold The Lilies Of The Field
• 10. Les Etoiles
• 11. The World Is Showing It's Hand
• 12. Abu Jamal
• 13. On A Du Soleil

Sun rating (out of 5 stars)
3 1/2

--
Thank you to Adam for this.

December 9, 2004

Bernard Perusse, Montreal Gazette

"A question about what kind of music he's listening to these days rekindled the enthusiasm, drawing high praise for Tajik vocalist Aqnazar, Argentinian pop group El Simbolo and singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt. And, as often happens when Richman tackles that topic, conversation turned to Neil Young. The voice on the other end of the line began to croon Are You Passionate?

"I still play that on guitar. Ah, what a great melody," he said. A suggestion that Young is an underrated melody writer almost had him shouting: "Damn right!," he said, singing Lotta Love to support the argument. "What a guy! What melodies he makes!"

Another bona fide legend, David Bowie, covered Richman's Pablo Picasso last year, but a query about Bowie's version committed the fatal sin of bringing the talk back to Richman's music. "I haven't heard it yet," came the credibility-straining answer. "But it's always nice when people do stuff.""

Vintage 1997

From: gh
Date: Thu, 27 Nov 1997
Subject: Re: Jokkmokk

> GH (the mad one) said there are no laundromats in Sweden.
> What about "Tvatt och check" on Storgatan in Jokkmokk?
> Funkiest wash place north of the polar circle.

I've been to Jokkmokk, but I didn't see a laundromat there. I
would be surprised if it was something there that can be
considered as a laundromat. The laundromat culture does not exist
in Sweden mainly as a result of the tradition with a free laundry
in the basement of all apartment houses.

Maybe it's a dry‑cleaner's?

Jokkmokk's greatest attraction though, is to count all the dead
reindeers on the road to Kiruna. I counted 22.

Being a tourist from Stockholm (1000 km south) I stopped or at
least slowed down for the reindeers, but the locals don't... Only
the Lapps do.

-- gh

###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.

beaver moon

Song Club: I Eat with Gusto, Damn! You Bet

from Ramon's Jonathan Chord Pages

Jonathan Richman version - Lyrics (spoken poem)

Hello Everyone, it's time for poetry
I submit to you the following it's entitled:
"I Eat with Gusto, Damn! You Bet"
By one Jonathan Richman.

When I eat like I do it,
I use not fork nor spoon
No grace or culture to it
When I call my own tune.

more backstage >>>

Has anyone seen JR do this live?

Review: Lincoln NE 20 November 2004

by grchereck:

I caught Jonathan's show in Lincoln, Nebraska this past weekend. (This was my 4th JR show, my 2nd at Knickerbocker's in Lincoln.) First of all, I should mention that sometime during the 2-year wait between this show and the last one my dad and I attended (in Kansas City, MO), I had told my mom that the next time I got an opportunity to see Jonathan, I would take her along...

more backstage

Review: Space, Portland, 13 Nov 2004

Found via Google News:

Monday, November 15, 2004

Richman rewards fans, old and new

By AIMSEL PONTI

Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc

REVIEW

Jonathan Richman

Where: Space

When: Sat., Nov. 13

Delving into Jonathan Richman's past is like taking a class in the history of new wave and punk. This guy had his hands in both movements back in the 70s and at 54 he is still a viable act that left an impressive crowd at Space wanting more on Saturday night.

more backstage >>>

---

With thanks to Adam.

Jon Richman part 7

Jonathan listens mostly to folkies now; Jim Post, a Chicago songwriter who co-wrote "Reach Out in the Darkness" and a couple of other hits, Steve Forbert, NRBQ and the Nee Ningy Band, a local group.

I suggest that perhaps the success of Forbert, Ricki Lee Jones and Dire Straits means there's an audience which is getting tired of bands that scream, "Awright, rock and roll."

"I think you hit the nail on the head," Jonathan agrees. "When you boil it right down, to scream 'rock and roll' and to play rock and roll aren't quite the same thing. When it gets awful noisy I question how much people are playing rock and roll. The '50s stuff had a groove to it; they didn't have to overdo anything. The more heavy-handed things get, the less that original groove is there. That's why I like the '50s stuff best. They didn't have to try so hard. It was right there in the beat."

Like the line from "Party in the Woods," "Let's get on the floor, let's bump-rock some more."

"That's right," Jonathan says, "that's what I want. I stole that line from Elvis. 'Let's get on the floor, let's rock some more, let's have a party tonight.' " He laughs. "It's a direct lift. I never try to avoid it. I'd gladly pay the money if it's a matter of copyright. I just want to hear what sounds best to me."

to be continued

by Bill Flanagan Trouser Press November 1979

go back to part 6

It's A Thing He Has ...

by Your Diva, Robin Pastorio-Newman

When Jonathan Richman tours, people go a little crazy. He usually plays one date in an area and moves on to the next, leaving packs of rabid fans stomping individual feet and muttering naughty words. Last time he came through New Jersey Jonathan --

more backstage >>>

First Avenue

Moments and Memories
"Like being in a pinhole camera -- a huge black box. It was gross, and the ceiling (covered with sprayed insulation) was gross. It smelled bad. But the show -- Jonathan Richman -- gave me the happiest feeling I've ever felt."
Anna Bloomstrand, 25, Minneapolis
[published in Star Tribune]

Today's Boston Globe

Luna: Let's not stay together

album reviews

Some album reviews by Jonathan fan, Adam Kaplan.

Vintage 2000

From: Brad
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2000
Subject: Paris show

Hi, Brad from Brussels contributes this cut and pasted review of last night's show in Paris...

For the first time, last night I drank from the cup of a Rich-man. I lapped up the contorted facial expressions, the self-deprecating attempts at French, those marvoulous hip shaking dance gyrations, and some special silent pauses for effect.

I strategically scheduled a meeting in Paris yesterday knowing there was a JoJo gig in town. I showed up sans-ticket, wearing my suit, tie, and pointy shoes. The small group waiting outside the door thought I might be able to buy a chance at Affection when the doors opened an hour later at 7.

more backstage >>>

###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.

Russian Ramones fan site with downloads

jojopics

See photographs of Jonathan at Gary Timms' new website.

jojobites

New readers, welcome to Jojoblog! And returning readers, thanks for your continuing support!

To subscribe to the JOJO email discussion list at Topica, click here and follow the directions.
If you have a problem getting in, send an email to Simon and he'll help you out.

To join the Rockin Leprechauns Yahoo Group, click here and follow the directions.

Check out the sidebar sites in the Jojolinks and the Perte du Temps. There's always something new to see! The archives are full of nice surprises too.

As of today, there are 40 Jojoblog team members. If you'd like to join the team, send an email to Jojoblog with the subject "knock knock" and we'll issue a Blogger invitation. Read the FAQ to see how this blog works.

Suggestions, comments and submissions are always welcome.

Tour Dates

NOVEMBER
1 - Spearfish, SD, Common Grounds
3 - Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
4 - Des Moines, IA, Vaudeville Mews
5 - Chicago, IL, Double Door
6 - Cleveland Heights, OH, Grog Shop
8 - 10 - Toronto, Canada, Lula Lounge
11 - Ottawa, Canada, Zaphod Beeblebrox
12 - Montreal, Canada, Cabaret La Tulipe
13 - Portland, ME, The Space
14 - Burlington, VT, Club Metronome
16 - Hamilton, Canada, Legendary Corktown
17 - Guelph, Canada, E-Bar
18 - Grand Rapids, MI, Intersection
19 - Madison, WI, High Noon Saloon
20 - Lincoln, NE, Knickerbockers

DECEMBER
5 - San Francisco, Slim's
7 - Portland, OR, Dante's
8 - Olympia, WA, The Clipper
9 - Bellingham, WA, Nightlight
10 - Victoria, CANADA, Lucky Bar
11 - Vancouver, CANADA, Richard's on Richards
13-14 - Seattle, WA, Tractor Tavern
15 - Eugene, OR, WOW Hall
17 - 18 - Albany, CA, Ivy Room

Always confirm show information locally.

To get on the snail mail list to find out when Jonathan Richman and Tommy Larkins are coming near your town, send a letter with your neatly printed or typed address to:

Jonathan Richman Mailing List
PO Box 8024
SANTA CRUZ CA 95061
USA

Reviews encouraged. Send an email to Jojoblog to submit. Read the FAQ for information.

review 15 april 2004

London Islington Academy at Drowned in Sound
by Tommy Mack

french lessons

April March's French Music for Beginners 101


thanks to James Tata

Some of you will recall that Jonathan is a friend of April's, and plays guitar on Chick Habit from the label Sympathy for the Record Industry

jojophotos

These were taken by Gary Timms at the Forum, London, in November 2000. He's going to be posting more on his own website soon. Watch this space.

Vintage 1995

From: Sarah
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995
Subject: * (interviews)

Hi list (and Mark)!

interview story #1:
here in iowa city, iowa, there's this college radio station and the rumour is that one day in 1989, jonathan richman was here for a show and he said "yes!" when the station asked him for an interview. BUT the problem is that the interviewer, a cocky 20-yr-old, kept askin jr about being old and what was it like to hang out w/ VU, and all this name droppy cars/ t. heads/ old school crap. Jonathan refused to answer questions, saying simply "yes" and "no" until finally he got up and left the station, only a few minutes into the interview! (power to the people! go jonathan!)

interview story #2:
in 1992, when jonathan was coming back, i worked at the student video center and was convinced that i could get a videotaped interview or, even better, some of the show on tape. so, i called rounder, who gave me his agent's #, WHO GAVE ME JONATHAN's #, and said--"call him and ask him , he should be at home." so i was nervous, but i called, and asked, and he said: "i don't do video" i was sad.

interview non-story #3:
still in iowa city, iowa - i work at an alternative weekly paper and, in lieu of jonathan's upcoming show (on the 11th) the a&e editor encouraged me to write a story! get an interview! call rounder! so i did, this time less nervous, and the nice rounder man said "well, jonathan's been kinda hard to pin down lately, he hasn't been very easy to track down, he's hard to get a hold of--I don't know if he'll do an interview but i'll call his agent and he'll call you back" Well, the rounder man sent out a package for me but no interview man ever called. The story came out today, and though it is not an interview, i'm happy that i wrote about him.


anyhoo, i'm interested to find out who, if anyone, he is touring with right now, and his mode of transportation. let me know!

-- sarah

###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.

radio on

chris petit's british road movie has plenty of tekno-garde music in its soundtrack but no modern lovers

read what ray has to say about it

Jon Richman part 6

Ernie Brooks is still skeptical. "I think it's really good not to be afraid to make a fool of yourself. But I don't think you have to act like you're eight or nine to do that. You can do it on the level of an older person."

Asa Brebner offers, "I think a lot of people are very uptight and intellectual about it. They approach it from the wrong direction. Any four year old kid could tell you what it means! I've played Modern Lovers records -- new ones -- for a lot of little kids and they don't question. They get into it right away."

Jonathan: "People have written me letters saying they feel they know me and I say 'Good.' That's the whole point: Someone letting you get to know them on the stage or on record."

Jonathan is adamant in his devotion to Beserkley Records, saying that if he couldn't be on that label he wouldn't record at all. I ask if sharp managers don't still approach him and say that with a little hustle he could get a deal with Columbia.

"I'd say, 'Thanks a lot!' With a little hustle they could get me in, to put it mildly, a situation I don't want to be in. I've been with a big label before. I know what it's like. It's like saying, 'With a little hustle we can get you a job lookin' up at the bottom of sewers!' Really?" Jonathan laughs. "Thanks! Do I have to act now? Just a minute, I'll pack my bags."

to be continued

by Bill Flanagan Trouser Press November 1979

go back to part 5

FULL HARVEST MOON!

September
This is the Full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox. In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but in some years it occurs in October.

At the peak of harvest, farmers can work late into the night by the light of this Moon. Usually the Full Moon rises an average of 50 minutes later each night, but for the few nights around the Harvest Moon, the Moon seems to rise at nearly the same time each night: just 25 to 30 minutes later across the US, and only 10 to 20 minutes later for much of Canada and Europe.

So get to it Jojofarmers. Your corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice ~ the chief Indian staples ~ are now ready for gathering!

PEACE OUT!

Malary Moon
Being Eternally Celestial :)

End of the Century

I just got to see End of the Century, which is a biography of the Ramones history. It has interviews with ALL of the Ramones, along with video from CBGB's when they were first performing there. They made the point that the Ramones were much more popular in England and South America than they were here in the States, because DJ's were afraid to play them. I thought it was amusing that when they first performed in England, Johnny Rotten wanted to meet and talk with them, but did not because he was "afraid they might beat me up". The film has lots of funny quotes like that in it, and I highly recommend it.

I agree with Tim in that I also have an affinity for Joey, because after seeing the film, I understood that he was very shy, suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and always took the background behind Johnny, who comes across as a bit of a jerk. The worst thing was that when Joey had finally developed a romantic relationship with someone, Johnny took her away from him, and that was when Joey wrote "The KKK Took My Baby". Anyway, Joey comes across as somewhat alienated and painfully shy offstage, while onstage he becomes very aggressive. Quite interesting transformation really.I'd like to hear from others who have seen the film or have seen the Ramones, and their impressions of them.

-- Sarah

The Popticians

For anyone wanting to hear a couple of tracks by the Popticians try out the following link : -

Mobile Home
Spare Pair

(Thanks to JC for making them available!)

It doesn't end in Lincoln

More shows:
Tue 12/07/04 Portland, OR Dante's
Wed 12/08/04 Olympia, WA The Clipper
Mon 12/13/04 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern (yay!)

I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more, maybe Vancouver, to fill in that five day gap. Stay tuned.

Anyone interested in getting together before or after the Seattle show should email me or leave a comment!

Update: Second show added on the 14th at the Tractor. Should I go to one show or two? I'm spending too much on shows this fall (expensive stuff like Wilco and Tom Waits), but maybe I will anyway!

vintage 2003

From: Joel
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003
Subject: Re: Jojo: make out room

Hey all..

First, thanks to Shawna for posting about the shows there.. these shows were NOT announced by Les' postcard mailings. At least we didn't rcv one. If anyone else did, please let me know, so I can make sure we are still on the list.

I may be between Kevin and Shawna in my live JR likes and dislikes, but I'm WAY WAY behind them when it comes to posting my review of the show last Wednesday at the Makeout Room in San Francisco...

I am one of the spoiled ones who has seen Mr Richman many many times.. so spoiled that I actually complain about hearing some of the "hits" too many times (Let Her Go into the Darkness, You Can't Talk to the Dude, Lesbian Bar, and even Pablo Picasso now, though I would never have said that 4 or 5 years ago).

more backstage

Berkeley Community Theater

Mainly Neil Young ... but Jonathan gets a name-check.

vintage 1996

From: anthony
Date: Sat, 21 Sep 1996
Subject: Jojo: A question I've had for the last year and a half....

Having just subscribed to this list less than a week ago, this seems to be as good a time and place as to ask a question I've always been a little curious about. I'm especially curious since I saw no mention of this in your E-mail archive.....

I attended a Jojo concert at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on the night of the 1995 Academy Awards, so I think it was late March. For his last song, Jojo said he was going to sing a song from his forthcoming album, and he proceeded to sing "You Must Ask GOD" (the exact same song as "YMATH", of course, except for the title). What can anybody tell me about this? It really shocked me when I heard it, because it was so overtly religious, and then I was surprised when I bought the CD a month later with a revised title. Wha'happen? Was this some sort of artistic compromise that made him leave Rounder? And why did he leave Rounder anyway???

So many questions... I appreciate anybody's help.

-- Anthony

###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.

Autumn 2004 Tour Dates- update

SEPTEMBER
14 - San Jose, CA, Blank Club
15 - Berkeley, CA, Berkeley Community Theater with Neil Young and Joanna Newsom.
22 - 23 - Barcelona, Spain, Barcelona Forum
24 - Menorca, Spain
25 - Mallorca, Spain
28 - Valencia, Spain
30 - Toledo, Spain

OCTOBER
1 - Segovia, Spain
2 - San Sebastian, Spain
4 - 6 - London, England, The London Jazz Cafe'

NOVEMBER
1 - Spearfish, SD, Common Grounds
3 - Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
4 - Des Moines, IA, Vaudeville Mews
5 - Chicago, IL, Double Door
6 - Cleveland Heights, OH, Grog Shop
8 - Toronto, Canada, Lula Lounge
11 - Ottawa, Canada, Zaphod Beeblebrox
12 - Montreal, Canada, Cabaret La Tulipe
13 - Portland, ME, The Space
14 - Burlington, VT, Club Metronome
16 - Hamilton, Canada, Legendary Corktown
17 - Guelph, Canada, E-Bar
18 - Grand Rapids, MI, Intersection
19 - Madison, WI, High Noon Salon
20 - Lincoln, NE, Knickerbockers

From Vapor Records Tour Dates*

*Check back often for more updates.

Also check the High Road Touring schedule

Always confirm show information locally.

vintage 2000

From: Ken
Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2000
Subject: Re: Jojo Digest V1 #870

> wasn't there talk a while back about our boy doing a soundtrack for a
> small indy film a while back? It seemed like the timing was a few months
> after "Mary"
>
> I have been looking to see if this movie ever surfaced.
>
> any info would be appreciated.
>
> Jeff

It's A Sign From God. A quiet, charming film about an irritating loser who thinks that every time bad things happen due to his own irresponsible nature (which is often) it's a sign from God that something good is going to happen soon. Jonathan's largely improvisational soundtrack adds up to about an hour's worth of neat guitar and keyboard noodling, which nicely fits with the film. Coincidentally enough, one reader here should be finding a long- promised video copy of this film in their mailbox about now.

No idea if it will be commercially available any time soon. Check the IMDB now that you know the title. (I gotta run, my band is playing a Monkees Hoot Night in about half an hour...)

-- Ken

###
Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list.

-- rb

Jonathan & The Modern Lovers on Top of the Pops 1978

Click Top of the Pops for a recording of the Modern Lovers doing 'New England' (it may take a while to download).

john cale

interview on the onion, with a mention of jonathan

Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine - August 1973

(A great interview if you can get past the first mis-spelt line…)

Jonathan Richmond
by Scott Cohen

Jonathan Richmond is the singing lead of The Modern Lovers, a Boston band bound to be the Next Big Thing in rock. They are currently at work on their first album which is being produced by ex-Velveteer John Cale for Warner Brothers. Despite the current glittermania in the music world the Modern Lovers are recording a song called “I’m Straight.” It could be the wave of the future. – G.O.

“WE DON’T WANT SOME GIRL TO FOOL AROUND WITH, WE DON’T WANT JUST SOME GIRL TO BALL. WE’RE THE MODERN LOVERS FROM BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS AND WE CAME HERE TONIGHT TO SAY WE ONLY WANT A GIRL WE CARE ABOUT OR WE WANT NOTHING AT ALL…” Jonathan Richman

How did the group get its name? It’s the kind that you have to be good to live up to.

We wanted a name for a rock and roll band that wouldn’t be just another name, but would describe the group. The Modern Lovers was chosen because we sing modern love songs.

What is “modern love?”

“Old love” is the whole Casanova thing. Don Juan trying to get as many girls as he can. He’s proud of fucking girls. He likes the power and the whole ego thing of sex. I think that whole form of love is outmoded because it really isn’t love. People don’t distinguish between love and the ego thing of sex. Here you have Don Juan, the young lover, and let’s say his idea of a beautiful woman walks by. He says, “I must have you” in other words, “I love you.” That’s my idea of horseshit. The girl would say, “Don’t you care about what I want? What do you mean you love me? You mean you want to do what you want to me.” So Don Juan says, “I could show you new things,” and she says “Yeah, but suppose I’m not ready for it?” If Don Juan was together and really liked himself he would know that when a girl wants and needs him he won’t have to tell her. He won’t have to convince her. There she is. All this convincing is forcing the issue. When I say “modern love” I mean the time when you don’t have to force the issue. When you don’t have to prove anything to yourself. When you think you’re alright. When you don’t need sex to feel alright.

What is your kind of woman?

Well, I like all girls, but as far as my kind of woman goes, if there is any, it is someone who has a fire inside she’s in touch with and doesn’t waste any time to express it.

Where would you go on a dream date?

First, maybe a dream date would be a date where you spend the whole time dreaming. That’s my idea of a dream date. It’s at night under the stars. I could be right here. Or near Chinatown, overlooking the East River. A dream date would be trying to get closer to the dream, the girl and you both see the sky, and the sky is a combination of that cobalt blue and that warmth and that cold that scares you and you want to fly into it. This is what the guy thinks. This is what the guy thinks. And this is what the girl thinks. Combined, they are both thinking the same thing.

When you write a song are you writing what the guy is thinking and what the girl is thinking? Are you trying for more than one point of view?

First I write what I’m thinking, what I want to tell, which is a combination of what I see girls thinking and what I see guys thinking. Suppose I see a lot of guys feeling they’re inferior because they don’t fuck. That makes me write a song that says you’re not inferior because you don’t fuck. In fact, that would be the title of the song. And if I see girls thinking, “Where’s the man who understands these dreams?” I would want to write a song ”I’m the Man Who Understands, Just Like All Men Can.”

Many of the Modern Lovers’ songs are about pure love and are down on sex and drugs. Does most of your audience think you’re putting them on?

I think some of them are too shocked. Some of them are sure we’re putting them on. Some of them can’t hear the lyrics because we don’t have a good P.A. system and don’t worry about it. Some of them are too scared and don’t know what’s happening and can’t even get that specific. But I want to do everything I can to let everyone know I’m serious.

Would it bother you if an audience left a Modern Lovers’ concert totally smashed by the music but had ignored the lyrics?

I don’t know if it can be differentiated that way. First of all, my voice… let’s say it’s a situation where they can hear everything, the P.A.’s working, or better still, let’s say the audience is French, or Indian, where they don’t have a chance. See, they wouldn’t understand the words because they didn’t understand the language, but they heard my voice singing those words and if I have my heart in those words then the very sound of my voice conveys it.

Your phrasings are like your heartbeats.

That’s why I cry when I sing. I break down and cry, I’m so moved by my own singing. I’m almost crying now.

How important are your tears when you perform?

Very.

What were you doing before you were a Modern Lover?

I was frustrated. I had no friends. I had big dreams. And even for a while during the early Lover stages I had these problems.


(Continues in the comments section below...)

Not So Much to be Loved as to Love

The cover of Jonathan's new release, Not So Much to be Loved as to Love, is an intriguing silhouette of a woman kissing a dog at sunset. My first reaction to the songs inside was a bit muted. As has been the case on several Jonathan discs, the foreign language songs are the most instantly striking. Much of the rest seems to coast along on a mid-tempo shuffle with lyrics that don't seem to have been fleshed out. "Salvador Dali" is the weakest, by far, of the great painters series but also included is a fine version of "Vincent Van Gogh" complete with some new lyrics and a plaintive guitar. It took me a while to discover that the finest number is the final cut, an unlisted bonus track (#15) which is a softer version of the title cut. Stripped of extraneous noise, this song seems to some up Jonathan's career quite well and ranks as his strongest number of the new millenium.

-- Adam

DKT/ MC5

[On 15 August] DKT-MC5 played at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. They are 3 original members of the MC5 (Michael Davis, Wayne Kramer and Dennis 'machine gun' Thompson) with Nick Royale of Hellacopters on gtr, Mark Arm of Mudhoney vocals and Johnny Walker of the Soledad Brothers vocals. They were brilliant! Played their greatest hits + a Ray Charles tribute. If you can see them (now in England) don't hesitate.

... they were really rocking! Mark Arm sang most of the songs and made a very good job of it. Nick Royale played perfect. Johnny Walker sang a few songs and played some harp, not bad either. And don't think DKT can't play their instruments anymore ... Although the show did not sell out (it was not cheap and there was a big festival at the same time elsewhere) the audience liked it a lot. After the show a lot of t-shirts were sold and I got mine signed by D, K,T and Mark Arm and they were very friendly towards the fans. The opener by the way was none other than John Sinclair with a bunch of dutch blues musicians. This sounded very dated but it was fun to see and hear John Sinclair making up texts of his old ideals on the spot(at least that is what I think). He played because The Icarus Line who were billed as opener cancelled their european tour.

-- Sjoerd

roadrunner

song review on allmusic

tour dates Autumn 2004

from Vapor Records

SEPTEMBER
14 - San Jose, CA, Blank Club
15 - Berkeley, CA, Berkeley
Community Theater with Neil Young and Joanna Newsom.
22 - 23 - Barcelona, Spain, Barcelona Forum
24 - Menorca, Spain
25 - Mallorca, Spain
28 - Valencia, Spain
30 - Toledo, Spain

OCTOBER
1 - Segovia, Spain
2 - San Sebastian, Spain
4 - 6 - London, England, The London Jazz Cafe'

Jon Richman part 5

"All I can say is, it's not to my taste," Ernie Brooks shrugs. " I don't know whether Jonathan freaked out on his own seriousness or if his inspiration somehow changed. I don't want to put him down for doing that. It just doesn't interest me."

Whatever he does, Jonathan is a great performer. He's great at putting himself totally out there and trying to reach an audience. But his newer stuff -- it's like he's trying to reach kids or something."

Jonathan later comes back to the point: "We were talking about me writing songs and how it isn't that much of an effort for me to be free and all. But that doesn't mean it wasn't an effort for me to loosen myself up. It didn't just happen as I was writing the songs. It happened slowly over a period of years. Then I would write music which was free; when I played for an audience they would respond in a new way and that would make me loosen up again. It was this cycle of slowly getting looser over the years. Partly it was that I didn't care what people thought, anyway. When we first did 'I'm a Little Dinosaur,' which had me crawling around on the floor, the other guys said, 'Jonathan affects a voice of reason regarding lunacy. Uh- oh!' But it was me doing it and I didn't mind."

to be continued

by Bill Flanagan Trouser Press November1979

part 4

Jonathan and Girls

Jonathan was one of those kids who was totally in his own world. He did not know how to talk to girls. He put them up on a pedestal. He'd visit girls at night up on the astral plane. Some of the girls he intercepts up there he may have known from other lives. He'd call me up at six in the morning and wake me up. "Ernie, I entered her dream last night. I know I entered her dream. I don't know if I should have done that." I'd say, "No Jonathan, that's wrong. Don't do that."

-- Ernie Brooks in Yakety Yak (Scott Cohen)

viking kittens

this is a fun link from alex

viking kittens

turn your computer sound on

from the vaults 1998

From: Doug
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 17:05:43 -0400
Subject: Re: Jojo: MC5

>> Their down side, is that Punkers find them too "Hippy" sounding, and Boomers find them too Chaotic. >>

> I tend to agree with this criticism. When I first got into punk a couple of years ago I made it a point to listen to the "roots" of the genre (Dolls, Velvets, Stooges, and MC5). Of those groups, the MC5 sound the most dated. I really can't imagine someone who wasn't alive during the sixties finding much relevance in their music, but that's just my opinion. That being said, I think it's worth the 8 or 9 bucks to buy one of their budget-priced CDs and decide for yourself whether they were any good. Most people I've talked to seem to think that "High Times" is the best record to start with. >

I'd start with the first album, which was recorded live and really is a classic. One problem I have with the MC5 is that they were heavilly influenced by soul and free jazz (Sun Ra, Coltrane), which aren't my cup of tea. And I hate Rob Tyners white soul-shouter voice. That's what makes them sound so dated. But, they have influenced all sorts of people like Radio Birdman, and the Nomads, and shouldn't be discounted so quickly.

> I would, however, wholeheartedly recommend all of Wayne Kramer's solo output, which is getting better with every passing album. I'd like to recommend a new CD by a group called the Sonics' Rendezvous Band. >

This was Fred Smith's (of the MC5) band and he disbanded it in the late 1970's when he and Patti went "into retirement". I had the good luck of seeing them live 3 times, and they might have been the best live band in the world at the time.

But, Fred's history of substance abuse, and his total lack of business sense made sure that they never released anything other than a 45 called City Slang, which now sells for over $100. The new CD is live stuff from their heyday. It is totally superb, and sounds just as fresh today as it did when it recorded 20 years ago. It should be available from the usual places that specialize in indie type stuff. In NYC, Subterranean is the place to start, and they also do mailorder.

###

Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list. If this is your message and you want it altered or removed, contact Jojoblog.

-- rb

from the vaults 1996

From: Nick D
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 11:08:28 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Jojo: Jonathan memories and blather

I don't think it is fair nor accurate to say that these bands were just supporters of a leader's vision. Jim Morrison would be nothing without Ray and the boys. The same is true of Nirvana, The Replacements and The Modern Lovers. Every band demands some element of compromise. The linear relationship probably has more to do with the aesthetics of sloppiness, innocence or at least something like that. Oh well, whatever, nevermind.

On Wed, 14 Aug 1996, DAN F wrote:

Can anyone trace/outline the stylistic/artistic relation between Jonathan Richman, The Replacements and Nirvana? Hmm. A test. I'd say that they all involved a catalyst bringing a batch of not-much-future musicians to a level of renown and ability that could support them, separately, after the leader's exit. ...Except for Jerry Harrison, who had a solo hit with "Rev It Up" ...not to mention his Talking Heads work. Oh Yeah, and that guy that when on to be in The Cars. Then there's always that Foo Fighters band who are currently tearing up the charts. ...and last I checked, Paul Westerburg, Tommy Stinson (Perfect + Bash & Pop), Chris Mars and hired gun Slim Dunlap all had solo careers going.

"The Music that you listen to is the Soundtrack for your Life"

###

It's funny, when I went to the archives to get a post that was dated August 16, I could only find one post for that date for the years 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000: the monthly FAQ!

Note: This is a vintage post from the old base.com list. If this is your message and you want it altered or removed, contact Jojoblog.

-- rb

Allan Tannenbaum Photos... (including the Modern Lovers at Town Hall, NY)

Quite a few interesting photos viewable via the following link, including one of The Modern Lovers at Town Hall, New York (probably from 1976).

Allan Tannenbaum Photos

This page links off a site by Allan Tannenbaum photographer for the Soho Weekly News between 1973 & 1982 - the main website is well worth having a look at too.

Sohoblues Website


Bob.

first time

I want to know from you all when was the first time you heard Jonathan and had that summer feeling ....

Mine was freshman year at The Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington. I was horribly depressed and surrounded by a bunch of pothead hippies (god bless their evergreen hearts, I was a hair farmer too) and trying to write papers about things I didn't understand because I was a stupid 17 year old freshman. Jonathan shined a little joy onto those days and I been hooked since then (1987 it was).

-- good nurse

Jojoblog FAQ

Go backstage to read the updated Jojoblog FAQ.

If you wish to post to the blog and you are not yet on the team, ask an admin to send you a Jojoblog team invite. If you have an old invitation that was never used, you will need another one, because the old ones are expired. Everyone is welcome to join.

Remember, you do not have to be a team member to use the Comments boxes under the posts.

-- RB

JR Instore in SF

As my membership is still pending over with the rockin' Leps - thought i'd let everyone know that if you're in San Francisco Sunday afternoon Jonathan is going to do an instore show at a super tiny record store called Aquarius at 4pm. This seems to be a warm up for the week of shows he's doing around the corner at the Makeout Room. Will I see anyone there?

Announcement: New Jonathan Richman Forum

 I've been working on a new website for a while now - it's an offshoot from the Jonathan discography site that most of you will be familiar with.  Most of the Jonathan info has been migrated already but the full service is still being programmed and is probably about a month away.  Part of the plan was the provision of a forum.

I've also closed the rather sleepy forum at http://www.sjrp.org/ and imported all the users and messages from that board to this new one.  So, in response to the sudden closing of the JoJo mailing list I have brought the launching of the forum forward a month or so and I hereby turn it over to the ex-mailing list members for you use and abuse. It's not a mailing list but I hope that it's somewhere where a large number of people can meet peacefully without the need for moderation.

If anyone wants an email list just for Jonathan stuff then I would suggest the Rocking Leprechauns over at Yahoo. It's already running and is established - however, try to limit the discussions just to Jonathan related topics.

If enough of us feel to set up another email list then why not use http://topica.com/ - it seems to work fine for the Ben Folds list that I'm also subscribed to. I'm happy to organise this but is this what is wanted.  If we do decide to go down this path can I suggest that at least 3 people are nominated as administrators, and that our little community decide who they are rather than having one person who can turn us off and on at will.  Well that's my 2 cents worth - feel free to come to the forums and make them your own. If they become our new home then great - if not we can discuss what to do next.

Cheers,
Simon

Jonathan Richman Forum at Discography Network

The Walkmen

Yo. I think this is my first post for this blog, so thanks for the invitation to join, and sorry I haven't been more of a participant.

I don't have much to say at this time, except this: I went to see The Walkmen last night, a great little indie rock band with one of the best drummers I've ever seen. In addition to putting on a great (if short) show, they showed their impeccably good tast by ending the evening with a wonderful cover of "Fly into a Mystery."

That is all.

so near and yet

erick of the sleepyheads - cool philippines group i've mentioned is letting me have a copy of the band's cdep. good stuff. but.
he and they are jonathan inspired though no mere copyists. i told him i was seeing our man at the london jazz cafe and he's asking if i can present the cd....
i've no trouble with talking to jojo - have before - but the location may not lend itself to it. if i can't, any idea what i _might_ do?

Hello Moon Lovers!!!

Yes, it's Malary Moon, your celestial guide through the months. Thought you were retaining water? Getting a little snippy at little yippee? Well ... chances are, it was the TIDES of this special BLUE MOON MONTH (to later be elaborated on ... Blue Moon's the NEXT one in July!)

BUT ... THIS full moon is on Friday, July 2nd at 7:09 am ET. And it's the moon where buck deer start growing Antlers! How kewl is that? And if you've ever seen two buck deer with antlers go at it, like head to head, (antlers to antlers) it is not really a pretty sight. So ... it's time for the BUCKS to do their thing! Don't get in the way ... (ouch) but let them do their thing, and well, tell me AWL about it!! And oh yes, IF the spirit hits ya, and the neighbors won't call the police, run around a bit BUCK naked in the full moon. Good for your overall body complexion! :) HOWLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!

LOVE,
Malary Moon ...

Who will be talking to you BEFORE next month when ... "there's a Blue Moon on the rise!"

I've seen babies dancing in the midnight sun ...
... but I never seen nothin' like you!

Not so much to be loved as to love/ Pas tellement d'être aimé que d'aimer

This is a great CD ! I like it a lot and am going to point out some songs which did catch my attention and which I have listened again and again already when I have only heard the title track once for the moment.

- Not that it is not a good song but "Not so much to be loved as to love" is the unmistakable Jonathan song, meaning also it is a predictable song, nothing new. I am also preferring the second version of this song which appears as the last hidden track in its naked simplicity.. Jonathan wanders in Boston nearby the reservoir.. (Is this why there are dogs on the booklet?)
- "Sunday afternoon", I considered as a filler until I heard some chords which reminded me of a song by the Velvet Underground, "Sunday Morning". There are other references to the Velvets on this CD, no coincidence !
- "Vincent van Gogh" revamped version is energetic and lively.. I nearly prefer this version to the original.
- "Salvador Dali" is my favourite song ! It starts like "19 in Naples" as Jonathan tells us that when he was 14 he was depressed and that Dali's paintings were the guide to the world of dreams, and the opening key to freedom. When the instruments start to play, I noticed a powerful bass line knitting a neat groove which extends itself like a mantra to climax in a perfect chorus at the end of the song. I look at the booklet, the bass player is no one else but Greg "Curly" Keranen, from the Modern Lovers #2.
- "Behold the lilies of the field" sounds like Lou Reed singing a lost song from the Velvet's Loaded album. I love this kind of Jonathan song where he uses the influences of his youth to express a mature man's feelings.
- With "Abu Jamal" Jonathan has written his classic-to-be protest song. Do you remember Dylan's "Hurricane", well "Abu Jamal" ranks at the same level. And what flabbergasted me, was to hear this Indian organ, the same as the one Nico was using .. delivering this monochromatic sad sound..
- "Les etoiles" and "On a du soleil" are merry songs a la Charles Trenet, they have become popular when played live.
- The two hidden tracks are very good. The first one is about the sea asking Jonathan to come home and he gets scared and feels like dying , again the Nico organ is the only instrument heard and Jonathan sounds gloomy, The other hidden track is the aforementionned title track with a live in studio only treatment.

Jonathan remains the eternal troubadour, the Bostonian wanderer, the prince of dorkness.

*surrender one*

it might take a little while to download

click here for surrender one

echo lounge

Review: 11 June Pearl Street Northampton

Before the show, we headed to the juice-joint, where I found myself with a pint of carrot/ginger juice. Ok, yes, I was thinking "what would Malary order?"!! But anyway the ginger really gave it some snap. (Btw, David Carradine was more elusive and nowhere to be found. I paid for my own beta carotene.) ...

--DumbBob

go backstage to read the rest

Review: 9 June Bowery Ballroom NYC

Last night’s Jonathan Richman concert at the Bowery Ballroom was one of his more memorable New York performances of the past five years. He mixed some of the song from the upcoming CD, some very old songs (Girlfren, Old World, Pablo Picasso) and he put a twist on many of the standards like Let Her Go into the Darkness, Springtime in New York and Lesbian Bar ...

--Larry

go backstage to read the rest

Review: 8 June Ottobar Baltimore

Hello Gang,

I just woke up from last night's exciting concert with Jonathan Richman at the Ottobar (Toxic Inferno) in Baltimore. This time the atmosphere was much less toxic. They had the AC on full blast up until the music started causing frigid conditions that gradually wore off to slightly hot this time. They put no smoking signs up everywhere, but unfortunately the crowd ignored it and there was a nicotine haze over the venue ...

--Sarah

go backstage to read the rest

Review: 5 June Echo Lounge Atlanta

The Echo Lounge is what I would call a nice venue that aspires to be a dive. Very pleasant folks run the place and work there. It's in a funky shabby artsy SE Atlanta neighborhood ...

--rb

go backstage to read the rest

Jon Richman part 4

Leroy Radcliffe acknowledges that some people are put off by that. "Really put off -- almost insulted," the guitarist says. "Like it's insulting to their intelligence. I understand that. I'm not blind to it. I can step aside from my understanding and love for Jonathan and see that point of view. If I'm gonna be seriously analyzing music all my life instead of enjoying it -- picking apart Joni Mitchell and being intellectual all the time -- if I wanted to do that I would be aghast at some things. But it's the '80s, y'know? It's not the '60s anymore."

Jerry Harrison says that he heard one of the recent Modern Lovers albums while in Europe with Talking Heads: "I heard the album with 'Egyptian Reggae' and I liked the instrumentals. But I felt his songwriting was going through this awfully cute stage. I thought he'd be perfect for Misterogers."

Is it an effort for Richman to shake off 15 years of inhibitions?

"I'm still gettin' freer," he says seriously. "I'm gettin' younger all the time."

to be continued

by Bill Flanagan Trouser Press November1979

part 1
part 2
part 3

Rhyming Couplets

What are your favourite JR rhyming couplets?
Here are a couple of mine:

"When I was 19 I went across the pond
And I found myself in the demi-monde"

"Does she cook beans? Does she cook rice?
Does she do ritual sacrifice?"

Add your own via the Comments

is there a jojo song about manila yet?

i just realised this is a spot i've not yet publicised my favourite couple of jojo influenced bands. ok then (i think) you (should've) asked for it! so then. in order of their discovery by me....


The Lucksmiths
The Sleepyheads (song downloads)

Song Club #1 : I'm Straight

From 13jalopy (Live from Harvard University, v.Hippie Ernie)

I called this number three times already today
But I, I got scared, I put
It back in place, I put my phone back in place.
I still don't know if I
should have called up.
Look, just tell me why don't ya if I'm out of place.
'Cause here's your chance to make me feel awkward
And wish that I had
never even called up this place.
I saw you though today walk by with hippie Johnny.
I had to call up and say how I want to take his place.

So this phone call today concerns hippie Johnny.
He's always stoned, he's never straight.
I saw you today, you know, walk by with hippie Johnny.
Look, I had to call up and say, I want to take his place.
See he's stoned, hippie Johnny.
Now get this, I'm straight and I want to take his place.
Now look, I like him too, I like hippie Johnny.
But I'm straight
and I want to take his place.
I said, I'm straight
I said, I'm straight
I'm proud to say
Well I'm straight and I want to take his place.

Now I've watched you walk around here.
I've watched you meet these
boyfriends, I know, and you tell me how they're deep.
Look but, if these guys, if they're really so great,
tell me, why can't they at least take this place
and take it straight? Why always stoned,
like hippie Johnny is?
I'm straight and I want to take his place.
Oh I'm certainly not stoned, like hippie Johnny is.
I'm straight and I want to take his place.
I said, I'm straight
I said, I'm straight
I'm straight
I'm straight and I want to take his place
All right you Modern Lovers what do you say?
(I'm straight!)
Tell the world now
(I'm straight!)
I said
(I'm straight!)
Yeah I'm straight and I want to take his place.

-- Jonathan Richman

I'm Straight (The Modern Lovers, v.Hippie Johnny)

more versions of "I'm Straight" lyrics and chords

Ian: The first verse rhymes "place", "place", "place" and "place". I don't know why i like that but i do.

It is an anti-hippie song, but not for the wrong reasons. Some people seem to hate hippies because they are smelly, (which is irrelevant) or idealistic (whereas in fact idealism- peace and love and optimism etc- is a very GOOD thing). Jonathan criticizes them for a better reason- because of shorthand pretentions to "deepness" which were seemingly gained merely by wearing the hippy uniform as a badge of "deepness". This uniform shut out people who happened to genuinely think for themselves, people who happened to not like to dress that way, who preferred to keep their head clear from drugs,,,,, to still love the arcane old world and their parents and short hair. Such people (like Jonathan) were made to feel inferior and "out of place". This song is a gesture of defiance. It uses discredited "straight" language of the discredited previous generation ("where's his backbone?") which must have seemed very provocative, perverse and disorienting coming from someone so young, and set to the most modern, cutting edge music.

continue reading I'm Straight here ...

Update 8 Oct 2011: or here

JUNE MOON!!!

June itself is a VERY POWERFUL Month.
The FULL "Strawberry" Moon comes -- 20 minutes into June 3rd, EDT! So stay awake the night of the 2nd to catch this event 20 minutes after midnight. Or lay in bed and notice your sudden craving for STRAWBERRIES! DREAM ABOUT STRAWBERRIES! June has always been the best month to harvest these delicacies. Dip them in chocolate, whipped cream, add them to a blender drink, and remember to THANK the MOON as you taste away and say "ahhh ... it doesn't get any better than this!" Notice all the Strawberry Festivals going on around your town!

And what else about June?
SUMMER begins with the solstice on the 20th at 8:57 pm, EDT.
But that SUMMER FEELING should kick in before that ... with the first STRAWBERRY you eat this month! Here's an EASTERN time chart that can guide you through the month. Each phase causes different effects ... keep a journal! Share it with me! Share it with Jojoblog, the JOJO-list, the Rockin Leprechauns -- just don't keep moon feelings inside or... who knows what could happen! Tell your cat if you must. Tell the purple haired lady at Krogers. He/she is going through similar changes.

Full Moon: 3rd day, 0 hour, 20th minute
Last Quarter: 9th day, 16th hour, 2nd minute
New Moon: 17th day, 16th hour, 27th minute
First Quarter: 25th day, 15th hour, 8th minute.

So that covers June Moon, but a peek at what exciting news is in store for July! an on topic: BLUE MOON!! (using the definition of "two full moons in one Month")

Just to give you a peek ahead to jot in your calendars, the first full moon in July will be July 2nd at 11:09 (military Eastern time), and then the BLUE MOON in July will be right at the end ... July 31st at 18:05 (military Eastern time)... Of course each of these moons has a meaning and special effects attached, but you'll have to wait until next month's column to learn about that!

HOWL AWAY TOMORROW NIGHT, and tell me awl about it!

Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Are you having fun? :)

PEACE OUT!

*** MALARY MOON ***

early days

to cleverly mark this off from my postings elsewhere, i have resolved to utilise no uppercase letters....

i'm advised one can deposit gems on almost (?) any subject here. but all i can find are jojo related items. this would seem to make either this site or the 2 groups pretty irrelevant

sounds fine to me

so - to be completely parochial - whuppen to the femme fashion for baring midriffs all the time? right through the winter (not a _very_ cold one here admittedly) girls were posing with varying sizes of bared bellies. now it's sunny on the coast - and they're nearly all covered up!

i'm sure there's an explanation. anyway that's what's bin occupying my mind mostly today.... have to find sometrhing else to try out my new digital camera on then

new look jojoblog

If anyone experiences any problems with the new-look blog can they please post them as a comment? Thanks.

Malary's pictures

June 2004 tour

MAY
26 - Tucson, AZ, Club Congress
28 - Dallas, TX, Sons of Hermann Hall
29 - 31 Austin, TX, Continental Club

JUNE
2 - New Orleans, LA, One Eyed Jacks
4 - Huntsville, AL, Flying Monkey Arts
5 - Atlanta, GA, Echo Lounge
6 - Chapel Hill, NC, Local 506
8 - Baltimore, MD, Ottobar
9 - New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom
10 - Hamden, CT, The Space
11 - Northampton, MA, Pearl Street
12 - Somerville, MA, Somerville Theatre
13 - Portland, ME, The Space
16 - Burlington, VT, Club Metronome
17 - Montreal, CANADA, Cabaret Music Hall
18 - Ottawa, CANADA, Zaphod Beeblebrox
19 - Hamilton, CANADA, Legendary Corktown Tavern
20 - Guelph, CANADA, E-Bar
21 - 23 Toronto, CANADA, Lula Lounge
25 - Chicago, IL, Double Door
26 - Des Moines, IA, Vaudeville Mews
27 - Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
29 - Spearfish, SD, Common Grounds

JULY
1 - Olympia, WA, The Clipper
2 - Seattle, WA, Tractor Tavern
3 - Portland, OR, Dante's

Always confirm show information locally.

Jon Richman part 3

Jonathan admits he got in trouble at school, "all for things no one ever got in trouble for. There were no rules against them but they just didn't expect people to do 'em.

"For example, I would draw on my pants. I had nothin' to do so I'd just draw little things on my pants." Jonathan traces two circles on his shorts to demonstrate. "Then I'd be summoned to the principal's office and he'd say, 'What are these?' I'd say, 'That's a treble dial and that's a bass dial.' Little infractions like that."

Probably no aspect of Jonathan's current music delights, frustrates, amuses and offends people as much as it's childishness. The Modern Lovers always dealt with the commonplace, often in simple terms. But by the time the group disbanded the records had become deliberately childlike. The final Modern Lovers album, Back in Your Life, celebrates the joys of running and jumping, eating food, God's love for mosquitos, and elves and animals partying in the woods. to be continued

by Bill Flanagan Trouser Press November 1979

Jon Richman part 2

I ask if his parents listen to his music.

"They like it. I invite them to see my shows. My father bought me my my first guitar, my first electric guitar, my second electric guitar, and my first two amplifiers. He encouraged it. I told him, 'Hey, Dad, I'm playing this big old place'-- I was about 16 years old-- 'and these people might come to see me-- maybe even from record companies-- and I need a better guitar. He gave me $110 for an Epiphone solid body guitar. If I had it today it'd be worth about $500." to be continued

by Bill Flanagan Trouser Press November 1979

John Felice's interview (1998)

I : You grew up in the same neighbourhood as Jonathan Richman.. What kind of neighbourhood was that ?
John Felice : Strictly middle class, tract housing ... as suburban an environment as you can imagine. 15 miles west of Boston. Shopping malls and all that kind of shit. When we were young all that stuff was just starting to happen.
I : And I guess you got into music at an early age. Jonathan was what, a couple of years older than you ?
JF : He was like 5 years older than me. He was a big influence on me. Only after of course my interest was peeked in'64 or so by the Stones and Beatles and all that. Shortly after, like 2 or 3 years later... like Jonathan was a bit older than me so I held him somewhat in high regard because of his knowledge. He was a little bit more wordly. He was able to get out and see things that a 12 and 13 I was unable to see, y'know. The Velvet Underground and stuff like that, he turned me on to those kinds of bands in the late 60's .
I : He was like hangin' around the Velvets, wasn't he ?
JF : Yeah, he got to go down to New York and hang out with Andy Warhol and that crowd. He was like.. in Boston there was a New York-Boston connection between the Andy Warhol scene and people up here in the Harvard and Cambridge area. Of course New York always being hipper than Boston.. So anyway Jonathan was in that deal and he would play solo shows on Cambridge Commons every Sunday afternoon. They would have concerts on the Commons... He used to practise by himself in his bedroom. Everyone in the neighbourhood could hear him from blocks away playing in the summer with his windows open, driving the neighbours crazy. I'd had a guitar for a couple of years, we talked about putting a band together, but he never wanted to, he enjoyed doing solo stuff. He went to Europe after he graduated high school. As soon as he came back he contacted me about playing in a band. And that was how the Modern Lovers started. Him and me. We put posters up around town for auditions, got the band together and that was that. It happened as like a steady progression. It was almost like natural... Music was changing. The music that I was into and Jonathan , the anti-hippy type music. I liked the Velvet Underground. I wasn't into like Quicksilver Fucking Messenger Service and all that hippy-dippy shit. I hated that shit. I liked the Stooges and the Velvet Underground and the MC5, that was what I listened to in high school. That was all I listened to.
I : So how quick did you start playing ?
JF : Well you had to make your own gigs. There were no night clubs to play. We put on our own shows at Harvard, we would rent halls, we would sometimes get to play the beach resorts. We played anywhere we could. Down in New York, we played a really great gig - it was one of the things that got recorded, some of it appeared on the "Songs of rememberance" boot-cd - at the Mercer Arts Centre on New Year's Eve with the New York Dolls. That was a pretty momentous gig. That was the very first gig that Jerry Nolan played with the Dolls. Billy had died that Autumn. At that show, me and Johnny Thunders became friends, because we were both same age and he was the baby of that band and I was the baby of the Modern Lovers. Ernie and Jerry and David and Jonathan were all like 5 or 6 years older than me. I was like 16, 17. So me and John became close friends and stayed friends for years afterwards.. I quit the Modern Lovers after that Mercer show because the band was destined to break, I knew it.
I : Was this before they went out to California ?
JF : They'd gone out to California once but I couldn't cuz I was in school. It was for those Kim Fowley tapes. It was just a session to do a quick thing they were back in a couple of weeks. It generated a bunch of record company interest, but because of our lack of decision making we were unable to act upon... We had all the major labels hunting us down as like the next big thing, offering us big, huge contracts, but the longer we waited and dicked around , the smaller the offers became. So we ended up signing a contract for something like $50,000 down from $500,000. A fucking pittance man compared to what... And all the bickering and the fighting was really putting a fucking strain on the band. I had graduated high school the summer before '72. We played Mercer Arts Centre on New Year's Eve '72/'73, and a week later we played up here in Boston at this place called the Stone Phoenix Coffee House. It was our signing party, David Geffen was there, he was just an A&R guy from Warners, and it was my last show with the band. They were leaving in like two days to go out and make the album... We talked about me staying in the band and going but I knew the band was going to break up because we were fighting so much, we hated each other. We hated each other. and I was right. They were out there for fucking a month and the band broke up.
I : - I'd thought you'd quit some time earlier. I've read something about a band you had called the Children's Rockn'n Roll Band.
JF : Yeah I left for a few months while they were persuing record contracts. I had to stay in school.. The Children's Rockn'n Roll Band, Jonathan named it... It was just kind of a goof. See I'd never played in a high school band... The Modern Lovers was my first band, playing Jonathan's crazy "When you get out of the hospital" nonsense and "Astral plane" and shit ... So I quit, because I had to go to school and these guys were like taking gigs on the West Coast. So I said I need to take some time off, I'm going to put together a little band. I said it wasn't permanent, y'know, we'll be back together and you guys make a record y'know, I'm there. And everybody liked the idea of two guitars in the Modern Lovers. It didn't sound as good when Jonathan was by himself. Ernie, Jerry and David really liked the idea of having another guitar because it gave the band so much more power. So I put this little band together, and y'know, we played high schooldances and we did really well.
I : Was this, "Louie Louie" kind of stuff?
JF : No that's when I first started writing songs, during this band. That was 1971.
I : And this was with Paul Murphy - later to become drummer in DMZ, and in the Lyres.
JF : Yeah, he wanted to originally be the singer, but I said I'll do the singing so I loaned hime the money.. I bought him a little Rogers drum set. And Paul was really diligent about practising, he was really cool about that. He practised all the time till his hands were bleeding, he was incredible. And we had Rick Coracio, who was the bass player in DMZ and then in the Lyres, as Murph was also. That's how that started, and of coursewe stayed in touch through the years. I mean it's a small musical community. Those are embryonic stages of a lot of things...
I : So after that, and after you left the Modern Lovers, was it the Kids next?
JF : Yeah. I was starting to feel a little more confident in my own material. You know it's toughwhen you are a kid. I respected Jonathan's material, but it wasn't what I wanted.
I : Yeah, I wondered how you felt about his songs and his direction. There's a Modern Lovers live thing with you on , I guess you've heard it , and there's one song which he introduces as a song you hate - "Wake up sleepyhead" on Longbranch Saloon- and then he gives you the mic and you give your little speil about it. What did you think about him putting himself up, like in "Someone I care about", as this guy with really pure intentions.
JF : See that's when things were starting to rip us all apart. Me and Jonathan, as close as we were, you know, I was like a punk, I was a wise-ass kid. I liked to do drugs, a lot of drugs, I liked to drink, and Jonathan was like this wide-eyed, no-drugs, ate nothing but health food, fucking carrot juice kind of guy...
I : So he was true to his word ?
JF : Oh fuck yeah. He was the fucking honest-to-goodness article. He was everything that he pretended to be. He was never false in his presentation of what he did. And.. it wasn't me, y'know ?
I : Is it true that you were Hippy Johnny (in "I'm straight') ?
JF : Yeah. It was originally Hippy Ernie. That was before Ernie was in the band. After I left it became Hippy Johnny, and the song became more timely, because , y'know, of my drugs... It was just the way I was. It made more sense because Ernie wasn't into doing drugs. - whatever Felice says , Ernie Brooks was not Hippy Ernie according to Jonathan.. but Hippy Johnny might really have been John Felice who answered to Jonathan in the classic Real Kids song "Who needs you".
I : So you were pretty much into all that at that early age ?
JF : Yeah. I was like 17.. I was a hellion, I just didn't fit in. I had a 100 watt Marshall, I had a Les Paul. Jonathan was trying to turn down all the time, and now he's succeeded in turning down into a complete accoustic. Him and me, our paths were growing further apart all the time.. We continued our friendship for years and years, during and after the Beserkley thing, he was back living again in Boston after that for several years. and we're still friends I guess, even thoughwe don't stay in touch with each other.. I guess we're friends. So..
I : So the Kids ..
JF : The Kids.. I was starting to feel my oats as a songwriter and have more to say... My songs didn't sound like Jonathan's songs thank God. I wrote some songs in the Modern Lovers that Ernie and Jerry really enjoyed. I mean, that was another point of contention in the Modern Lovers. Ernie, Jerry and David wanted to play some of my material because it was fun to play. It was loud and raucous and it was fun, you know what I'm saying ? And Jonathan couldn't go for it, because you know, he's got a tremendous ego and ...
I : Did any of those songs later surface ?
JF : No. These were early.

Jon Richman part 1

"My father's a salesman," Jonathan Richman explains. "That's where 'Roadrunner' came from. He's a traveling salesman. He sells to military installations all over New England. That's how I got that love for 7-Up signs and Norwood and Foxboro and all these different places. I would sit in the car with him and we would drive all over this area, up and down New England. It was like a whole other world to me."

Jonathan is sitting in a Cambridge natural food restaurant at 11 in the morning. He is wearing a T-shirt and shorts. His muscular, unshaven appearance is surprisingly different from the publicity-pic Richman.

One cliche writers have used to describe Jonathan Richman is that he resembles Beaver Cleaver. But with his scruffy beard, crooked smile and the way he looks down and then straight at me as he talks, Jonathan Richman reminds me of pre-Born to Run Bruce Springsteen. to be continued

by Bill Flanagan Trouser Press November 1979

Modern Lovers/ Elliott Murphy

Bonjour,

It's funny that someone has precisely mentioned this week Elliott Murphy's Night Lights album, with its stronger than usual Modern Lovers connection. It's funny, because I've just been listening this week to the BMG reissue of Elliott Murphy's Lost Generation/ Night lights albums on one CD, and I intended to tell you about it.

Yes, the Modern Lovers connection at the time of the 1976 Night Lights is strong, because that year the Elliott Murphy band at one point consisted in none other than Ernie Brooks, of course, plus Jerry Harrison and Andy Paley on drums!!! This line-up didn't last long, it toured and recorded 3 of the songs on the original album.

The BMG reissue has one extra track for Lost Generation, and no less than ten for Night Lights. The silly thing is that there is absolutely no information whatsoever as to where these tracks come from. But they are obviously studio outtakes and demos. And what I had been meaning to tell you is that one of these extra tracks, "Night Connection," obviously features, it seems to me, the Brooks/Harrison/Paley line-up(that organ sound...), and moreover, the theme of the song is a not too distant cousin to that of "Roadrunner." So much so that "Night Connection" was rerecorded for the next album, 77's Just a Story from America, under the title "Drive All Night!"

And if you'd like to hear more of this Elliott Murphy band line-up, then you can look for volume two of Elliott Murphy's rarity series: it features a full concert by this version of the band in 1976, including "Night Connection." I found this info on the net while looking for info on Night Lights. The most complete info was on a Spanish site though: Dusty Roses Records.

Livappy!

JC


JC Brochard / Pol Dodu
Vivonzeureux! (en attendant la mort...)
Mareuil-sur-Ay, France
Webzine
Radio

So long Lizzie

When Jonathan and the Modern Lovers #2 did their European tour in 1978 they played in Paris and met there one die hard fan, a guy called Michel Esteban who had some kind of a shop where records as well as clothes could be found. The earliest version of this shop was named "Roadrunners" for obvious reasons, it eventually evolved into "Harry Cover" ( a pun in French). Esteban soon started a punk fanzine called Rock News with the help of his girlfriend , the delicious Lizzie Mercier-Descloux who was his muse/photographer/editor. I think it was Lizzie who shot the picture of Jonathan in Paris with the striped shirt which is on the back of the booklet of the "Beserkley years : best of Jonathan Richman" CD. She became a close friend of Patti Smith's and was part of the New-York punk scene. She started a successful singing career in the 80's in the world music department established by the hit "Mais ou sont passees les gazelles ?"
Lizzie died a couple of weeks ago from cancer, and my sadness is mixed with nostalgia as it is some images of my youth which is vanishing, I was often visiting the Harry Cover shop in 78-79 to buy special records meeting people who were liking the same music as me ...
De l'ame pour l'ame
Jacques

Not So Much to be Loved as to Love

It looks like Jonathan's new album, Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love, is due out on June 22.

deepdiscountcd.com has the following track listing:

1. Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love
2. Sunday Afternoon
3. Vincent Van Gogh
4. Cosi Veloce
5. He Gave Us The WIne To Taste It
6. Salvador Dali
7. My Baby Love Love Loves Me
8. In Che Mondo Viviamo
9. Behold The Lilies Of The Field
10. Les Etoiles
11. World Is Showing It's Hand, The
12. Abu Jamal
13. On A Du Soleil

-- SamR

update: Ramon has track listing and lyrics

Update: Radio broadcast of the Gothenburg show May 8th!

The broadcast will be on June 14th (preliminary) and an interview in the Musikjournalen show the same night.

Non-Swedish people can probably listen to it on the internet.

/Magnus

Radio broadcast of the Gothenburg show May 8th!

I got the mail from the radio producer:
There will be a broadcast soon (probably in June) of the Gothenburg show!!!

Below is also my original mail in February to the radio show telling how good we (=list members all around the world) think that the Tonkraft show (Swede weed) was...and still is! and it would be a great idea if they recorded the new show. If you don't understand, it's because it's in Swedish

Depending on the interest maybe this show could be a cdr tree? Usually the "p3 live" show is 60 min (no commercials).

-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Från: Torsten Larsson
Skickat: den 17 maj 2004 10:53
Till: magnu_s@bre...
Ämne: Ang: VB: Önskemål: Jonathan Richman

Vi skall försöka sända det innan Hultsfred nån gång... Snart i Tablån över kommande gig

Torsten Larsson
Producer P3 Live
SR P3
se-405 13 Göteborg
Sweden

-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Från: Magnus Andersson
Skickat: den 24 februari 2004 20:21
Till: 'p3live@sr.s...'
Ämne: Önskemål: Jonathan Richman

Hej på er,

I juni 1978 sände P3 Tonkraft en mycket bra konsertupptagning fr Radiohuset: Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers. Denna radiospelning diskuteras fortfarande på hans e-group. Härlig spontan interaktion mellan artist och publik.

Jonathan Richman kommer till Sverige 8 & 10 maj se (Trä'gårn Gtbg och Mondo Sthlm)

Han uppträder tillsammans med en trummis och är fortfarande en spontan och vital artist. Han skulle säkert passa bra i en P3 Live inspelning!

Hälsningar
Magnus Andersson
Stockholm

PS
Ett annat amerikanskt band som också är på ingång till Sverige i maj är NRBQ, ett verkligen allsidigt och oförutsägbart liveband.

Ett band som alla svenska musiker borde gå och se enligt Aftonbladet.

/Magnus

Magnus: the Stockholm show, May 10th

Two great shows in Sweden (both sold out, in Stockholm at least) so hopefully it will not take 8 years until next time.

It lasted 100 min with an extended-extended version of Lesbian Bar as one of the highlights. The reviewer in the biggest Swedish paper (DN) stated that it must have been 20 min! Tommy and Jojo did solo after solo with alot of dancing and laughing. Another highlight was This Kind of Music and the guitarplaying in general.

Some of the new songs are really great like for instance "He Gave Us the Wine to Taste, not to talk about it...So let's taste it!" and Imprevidibele (growing better each time and listening to some UK shows so the new cd in June seems to be really good!

The audience in Stockholm were quieter than the Gothenburg audience. It was totally dead silent during the slow songs and some of the guitar solos. But imho I think that the audience and the show in Gothenburg were the better one of the two.

The show ended with Not So Much to be Loved... and Nishi and intense cheering for encores. Specially since the lights were still only on the stage. Jojo had to come and explain that they don't do any encores. He then jumped down from the stage into the audience causing a minor riot among the Swedish girls. Some loud Drum'n'bass music was turned on and Jojo made his way to the bar and made the dj turn it off! He then talked to the people even to me and I got my ticket autographed.

He said that he'll return to Europe in September (Barcelona, Germany and some other country that I don't remember, but not Sweden).

Review in Swedish

some of my amateurish photos from Stockholm (and Gothenburg)

Magnus Andersson

Göran: the show in Gothenburg; May 8th audience

Excellent info on the Gothenburg show, Magnus. Sorry I missed you, I was one of the "older people" at the front. So- the crowd was on the youngish side, which was nice.

I noticed that audience was a bit uneasy about Jonathan´s spoken introduction to that song about going to a brothel. That subject is very much taboo in Sweden, whatever you in the rest of the world imagines about Swedish pornography and Swedish nannies callaed Inga and such. But then he sang "You Can´t Talk to the Dude" and everyone was smiling again.

Göran Kraft

Magnus: the show in Gothenburg; May 8th

I agree it was an excellent show (although it was my first so I'm perhaps not the one to tell)!

But he seemed so happy, smiled alot, danced alot, and he was a bit surprised with the great audience response. It surprised me that it was rather alot of people below 25 years old, but I saw people older than me also.

He opened with Egyptian Reggae, That Summer Feeling (it was a warm summer evening), 19 in Naples and Springtime in NY.

Excluding You Can't Talk to the Dude he re-played the last part of a couple of songs like "Her High Heels..." due to the audience cheering. It surprised me also that the songs from his latest cds were so known to the audience. He started to play I'm a Little Airplane but didn't get so much response so he changed into Affection after a while. Alot of the new songs were also played. Excellent Let Her Go into Darkness (with French/Italian/Hebrew/Arabic middle parts).

The last songs if I remember correctly was Vampire Girl (excellent version), You Can't Talk to the Dude w intro, Give Paris One More Chance. Tommy left the stage and Jonathan did some old French song (Trenet/Chevalier?). The audience demanded more and he came back for an a capella Nishi. After minutes and minutes of shouting from the audience he came back just waving and thanking the audience.

Aftonbladet (one of the biggest) papers rated the show 4 of 5. Stating that the only negative was that 90 minutes felt too short. They concluded that he's playing in Stockholm (tonight) and just stating: BE THERE!

...That's where I'm going right now!!

And I think SR (Swedish Radio) P3 recorded the show for a later weeding in this group (their truck was outside and I saw extra microphones)! I'm going to check with them. I sent them a long email in March recommending Jonathan for their broadcast series: P3 Live and that their broadcast from 1978 (Swede weed) was still discussed in this group.

/Magnus

Göran: the show in Gothenburg; May 8th

For the first time in 8 years Jonathan entered Swedish soil. And he was warmly greeted by a full house at Trägår´n in Gothenburg on Friday. The reviewer in the Gothenburg Post wrote that he had never heard more applause after any concert he had attended. Jonathan did about 90 minutes of non-stop songs from Pablo Picasso to some not-yet recorded songs. Favourites were Lesbian Bar, Vincent van Gogh and extended versions of Let Her Go into the Darkness and You Can´t Talk to the Dude.

Göran Kraft

Göran: the show in Gothenburg; May 8th- trainspotting

I made a lot of fuss to everyone I know about Jonathan coming to Gothenburg, at last. And a gang of people from my work went to the concert-- and loved it.

But one of the people that did not go made a cell phone call to the office on the morning of the Gothenburg show, reporting that he was on a train from south Sweden to Gothenburg, sharing a compartment with Jonathan and Tommy.

Obviously Jonathan and Tommy had boarded the train in Hellsingborg (which means that they must have taken the ferry from Oslo in Norway, where the last concert before Gothenburg was held, to Helsingör (the city of Prince Hamlet) in Denmark, then the short ferry tour over to Helsingborg, and then boarded the train there to Gothenburg. That is NOT the shortest way from Oslo to Gothenburg, to put it mildly, but maybe they did some West Scandinavian sightseeing while they were there.

My friend on the train reported that Jonathan came on board, carrying his guitar, and sat down writing lyrics. Some fans came over and talked to him and he was very friendly. My friend, who´s into metal rather than Jonathan, thought of starting some conversation with Jonathan, but couldn´t think of anything more clever to say than "Hi, there´s a guy at my work who really likes you a lot," so he thought it best to keep silent. But he did sit two seats from Jonathan Richman for more than two hours!

Göran Kraft

happy birthday Joey

He and Jonathan were born the same year: 1951

Irving Plaza tonight!

You Don't Come Close

The late great Joey Ramone would have been 52 today ...

USA/ Canada tour May-June 2004

Wed May 26 Tucson AZ Club Congress w/Jesse DeNatale
Fri May 28 Dallas TX Sons of Hermann Hall w/Jesse DeNatale
SSM May 29-31 Austin TX Continental Club w/Jesse DeNatale
Wed June 2 New Orleans LA One Eyed Jacks w/Jesse DeNatale
Fri June 4 Huntsville AL Flying Monkey w/Jesse DeNatale
Sat June 5 Atlanta GA Echo Lounge w/Jesse DeNatale
Sun June 6 Chapel Hill NC Local 506 w/Jesse DeNatale
Tue June 8 Baltimore MD Ottobar w/Jesse DeNatale
Wed June 9 NYC NY Bowery Ballroom w/Jesse DeNatale
Thu June 10 Hamden CT The Space w/Jesse DeNatale
Fri June 11 Northampton MA Pearl Street w/Jesse DeNatale
Sat June 12 Somerville MA Somerville Theatre w/Jesse DeNatale
Sun June 13 Portland ME Club Metronome w/Jesse DeNatale
Thu June 17 Montreal QC Cabaret Music Hall w/Jesse DeNatale
Fri June 18 Ottawa ON Zaphod Beeblebrox w/Jesse DeNatale
Sat June 19 Hamilton ON Corktown w/Jesse DeNatale & friends
Sun June 20 Guelph ON E-Bar w/Jesse DeNatale
MTW June 21-23 Toronto ONT Lula Lounge w/Jesse DeNatale
Fri June 25 Chicago IL Double Door w/Cory Brannon
Sat June 26 Des Moines IA Vaudeville Mews??? tba
Sun June 27 Minneapolis MN First Ave w/Jesse DeNatale
Tue June 29 Spearfish SD Common Grounds w/Jesse DeNatale
Thu July 1 Olympia WA The Clipper w/Jesse DeNatale
Fri July 2 Seattle WA Tractor Tavern w/Jesse DeNatale